The Songwriter Forum - songwriting reviews, tips and chat
Songwriter Forum => Recording => Topic started by: 5 guys named Lars on May 30, 2020, 12:43:40 AM
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One of the consequences of the lockdown ending & the studios opening here is the increase in demand & prices. Costs about £200 a day here now.
Its nice to come out of it with a better recorded song but I was wondering if the money could be put to better use for my own equipment.
I have an acoustic guitar, 12 string acoustic, a bass (with amp) & an old Yamaha YPT230. I use Audacity with a microphone.
I would love to know if you would spend a day in the studio or buy equipment (& which).
Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks. :)
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@5 guys named Lars (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22535) - Fo what it’s worth I’d invest in equipment at home, but it rather depends on space, money, whether you want to spend time learning how to mix and produce , it’s great fun and sooo satisfying...
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I've never used a studio so can't compare but I'm pretty pleased with what I can create. Guys on here have been really helpful and I have a load of kit updates landing this week.
You could read my thread on Updating my Home Studio because there's a lot of tips from guys like @cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308) in there. Really helped me focus on what I wanted.
For info, I record acoustic and electric guitars into Garageband, as it just seems more intuitive. Audacity is brilliant for certain things but it just seems easier in Garageband.
I landed on a good Behringer interface that has 4 in and 4 out but generally I only record one at a time so a 1 or 2 in and out worked great. I have recorded my vocals and Acoustics through a cheap dynamic mic and I'm quite pleased with the sound, really looking forward to seeing how the new condensor mic sounds when I can try it.
And on cost, your £200 an hour would soon kit you out. My interface was £99, mic £90, Monitors (second hand Eris E5s) £95 so that and a few cables and you're well on the way.
Have fun!
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Thats brilliant @cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308) & @PeteS (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22588)..thanks a lot. Yes, read the thread on the Home Studio & lots of good tips. Think I`m going to start with getting a Behringer U-Phoria UMC204HD interface & then a condenser mic. Don`t think I´ll need the monitors yet as I`ve a decent pair of headphones. Tempted to buy an electric guitar tonight but my girlfriend will kill me so bought a tambourine instead. :/ Thanks for the help guys..much appreciated.
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@5 guys named Lars (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22535) @PeteS (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22588) you maybe pleasantly surprised with how your condenser sounds, do the scratching your eyebrow test...
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@5 guys named Lars (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22535) - but the e guitar, sod the girl it’s only rock n roll, who hasn’t gazed more lovingly at a strat or les paul than your bird?
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@cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308) Very true. But have you heard me play a Les Paul? I make it sound like a Les Dennis. I won't make a joke about playing my girlfriend. 😁
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@5 guys named Lars (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22535) - is that a photo of your bird?....buy the gibson...
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I’m not sure my wife has forgiven me for the Faith acoustic I bought. I think she thought it was about £250 but being a fool I left the invoice lying around and she saw the £700 cost. My justification of well it was reduced from £865 fell on deaf ears.
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is that a photo of your bird?....buy the gibson
Yes, but you should see what she can do when she takes her teeth out. :D
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I’m not sure my wife has forgiven me for the Faith acoustic I bought. I think she thought it was about £250 but being a fool I left the invoice lying around and she saw the £700 cost. My justification of well it was reduced from £865 fell on deaf ears.
Leave a couple of Lowden and Burguet catalogues lying about, that should do the trick...
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Studio time must be really nice (never had any) but unless you also hire a producer won't you still be doing most of the work yourselves?
You should be using a DAW - at 60 bucks for Reaper and a little learning time you'd turning out stuff that is hard to distinguish from studio tracks.
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@5 guys named Lars (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22535) - So you've been in the Studio, know how it works, see the roles of the mixing engineer, producer, Artist...so doing all that at home to that quality is a big deal, 200 bucks a day might seem good value, it also focuses one's mind to what is needed, but it also is quite stressful if you don't have a deal behind you paying for their time.
There is an investment behind doing it at home, but a long term view helps, as it takes quite a while to work out what each component does in a digital workflow.
If you enjoyed your experience in the studio, and like me, I loved watching and asking the pro's for tips, then doing it at home is a good choice, plunge those £200's into your control room.
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@adamfarr (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=20124) Yes, studio time is great & its superb to play instruments I`ve never tried before but it is frustrating working against the clock & an expensive way to make mistakes .It sounds like Reaper is the next step up from Audacity at home so will try that too. Thanks Adam.
@cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308) Yes you`ve read my mind & you`re absolutely right. I will do. Was nice in the studio to get immediate feedback on a song from someone else but me, but now I can do that through this forum now so its happy days. Cheers Rich.
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I think there’s a lot of choice on Daws. If you have a Mac the GarageBand is great. If you buy presonus kit then it comes with Studio one which is apparently very good. All other kit comes with stripped down versions of things like Pro Tools that are very good but try to tempt you into buying the full version.
I’ve never looked at Reaper so can’t comment but if 60 dollars gets you a full version then it has to be worth a look.
Personally, as a Mac/GarageBand user I’m tempted by Logic Pro but I’m not sure what I’d get from it!
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I have been using Reaper for 5 years now. $60 gets you the full version although you can download the full version for free and only pay for it if and when you want, although for me a week of evaluation persuaded me to buy the license. I also started off with Audacity and although it's a great freebie it has two big disadvantages to my mind. Firstly there is no midi facility and if you have never used midi I would say that it opens up a whole new world. Secondly in Audacity, if you apply an effect it's irreversible. Not good when you are experimenting. Which ever way you go you have to expect a learning curve but there are so many great tutorials out there on YouTube. Good luck :)
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Defo invest it gear / home studio.. I've been to studio with my mates a few times - it was great fun and an amazing experience.. I was dragged to the first session as two of my friends had a day-in-a-studio voucher.. so they dragged 3 others along.. Had never written a song and at the first session the gauntlet was thrown down - bring an original song each to the next session... that's how I started... Anyhow, I digress.. Now I've been writing and recording for a few years, there's no comparison. Being able to record when I've just written a song is the best feeling (of course, in reality, it takes time between writing and recording).. Anyway, in my opinion it's a much better investment putting it into gear etc.. I've never looked back ..
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@5 guys named Lars (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=22535)
I am going to sound a note of caution before you rush out and buy loads of kit - as it is definitely a potential rabbit hole you are about to dive in to!
For full disclosure I have devoted a large part of my life (and money) investing in kit and training to be able to record, produce, mix and master from home using my own gear
However, this is not for everyone so before spending any money I would suggest asking yourself 2 key questions:
How often will you want to record?
What quality do you want from your recordings? Eg demo, radio ready, commercial release quality?
The reason I ask this is that although recording from home is an AWESOME hobby - it is not for everyone
I liken it to DIY - I HATE doing any kind of DIY home improvements. I know that I am a bit of a perfectionist so if I want something as simple as wall paper put up I would need to buy all of the equipment, learn how to do it, make loads of mistakes, take up a load of time doing it when I could have been something else I enjoy (or make money from), and the end result will likely end up a bit “amateurish” - especially the first few times
The plus side is that I may feel proud that I did it myself - but knowing me I would always spot the flaws
If I was decorating a room everyday then the investment in kit and time may be worth it - but IMHO life is too short so I would rather pay someone else to do it (properly) whilst I invest my time and money in other areas
This translates directly to home recording and production so please really think how professional you want something
There are other ways to get more “value” from recording
You could use the studio just for “tracking” - ie recording everything and then get someone else to produce, mix and master (or gradually learn to do this bit yourself)
The hardest bit of home recording is getting the good recording in the first place (depending on the instruments and type of music you are recording)
I am not being negative - just trying to balance the argument a little before you spend money and commit time to something but you don’t end up with the result you want
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That sounds a fair balance @boydie. I've never been near a studio but would like to compare the experience one day. My kit is used to record anything from early demos to what I might consider the finished article since you guys are virtually the only people who are going to hear it ;D. I would like to hear someone else's professional production of one of my songs at some point though.
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Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. :)
Oh bloody hell @Boydie (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=18510) !! Just when I thought I`d got it sorted you come along with another sensible & valid viewpoint. Got me thinking again what I`m in it for. I need a lie down with a bottle of sanatogen after this. The biggest problem challenge is I`m tight skint so can`t get too far down the rabbit hole.
I`ve got to get ideas & songs down on tape!? somehow & can`t wait 3 months till I`ve saved up again for a studio visit. As @cowparsleyman (http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?action=profile;u=21308) said..seen that,done it,spat it out,spewed it up again. But I do find the process of recording my songs frustrating & annoying mainly cos I`m a crap musician. At one point I thought about paying someone else to record the songs but again its money out da window.
I am going to take your advice Boydie & only start with the Behringer interface so I can try MIDI (is that right?),try the free reaper & watch a hell of a lot of YouTube videos.
I`ve got another new sophiscated plan...to win the lottery...no..plan 1 first..do the lottery. :D
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For what it's worth I started with:
- Reaper €60;
- interface €100
- condenser mic: €50 ebay
- headphones for tracking: €30
- plugins: all free
- pop-filter, stands and cables maybe €60
Total: <€300
(also check out this guy's recommendations for a $350 home studio - https://www.recordingrevolution.com/build-a-350-home-recording-studio/)
Since then I have added a second mic, some studio speakers, midi-keyboard and some better headphones so about €500 extra in total and not looking to spend more (ever really).
And none of the above is the reason my mixes are bad.
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I started with exactly the same Adam and like you apart from a midi keyboard and some monitors haven't needed anything else although I did order one of those SE X1A mics after being persuaded by some other forumites. My current condenser mic is a cheapo £20 quid e-bay purchase so will be interesting to hear the difference :)